Western people can copy anime. They can't, and they never will, make anime. End of story.

Anime isn't about the big eyes, the fancy hair, the crazy poses, or such. Anime is about culture. Not once in my life I saw a pseudo-anime made by Western people and was fooled into thinking it was really Japanese.

Which is ok, because if we really were able to make anime, we'd be Japanese.

TRUE ANIME IS MADE IN JAPAN. Funimation which is an AMERICAN COMPANY that most of the time translate TRUE ANIME into english for an American audience. However they somehow got it into their head to make Mass Effect: Paragon Lost (movie) was a good idea to make well just watch the trailer to see if an american company can make a " decent " I'll wait.

Yep I know it sucked but you know why. It's not because it's based on a game it's because it's AMERICAN MADE two last example's.

Yep they both sucked too you know why ? IT'S AMERICAN MADE. We American's can COPY the style but not the CULTURE.

Western people can copy anime. They can't, and they never will, make anime. End of story.

Anime isn't about the big eyes, the fancy hair, the crazy poses, or such. Anime is about culture. Not once in my life I saw a pseudo-anime made by Western people and was fooled into thinking it was really Japanese.

Which is ok, because if we really were able to make anime, we'd be Japanese.

You see, this is the real problem. For what ever reason, people have fooled themselves that the need to make labels for different types of animation simply based on its origin. This I find is cultured backwards in every way. Do we name different type of animation because they are from Canada, France, China, America, ect... No, but when its from Japan, WE CALL IT ANIME.

Now I am ok with categorizing for the sake of categorizing, but what I mean its backwards are the the fans who some how feel simply that because it is from Japan, it is Superior and it can't do any wrong. Then watch episodes of Bleach. The type that watch in subtitles not because the dub did an awful job, since all dubs in their eyes are awful for not getting the "true meaning" of the two guys powering up and explaining why their moves failed. Note that most directors of anime would actually prefer you watch it as a dub because they never intended anyone to READ their movie. Lets not even get started that for all that culture talk, they know next to nothing about the actual culture of Japan.

As one anecdote I heard, "Critics like the movie until the found it it wasn't European.".

Anime can only be Japanese because you can't create an anime outside of Japanese culture or without Japanese language. It would just be wrong. It would never feel like anime to a person who watched anime before. You can only copy visuals and tropes, you can't make it feel like something Japanese without Japanese making it. I have nothing against western countries copying anime, I don't want anyone calling it anime.

You see, this is the real problem. For what ever reason, people have fooled themselves that the need to make labels for different types of animation simply based on its origin. This I find is cultured backwards in every way. Do we name different type of animation because they are from Canada, France, China, America, ect... No, but when its from Japan, WE CALL IT ANIME.

This is not a problem. When its from Japan, it's called differently because it's in fact different from cartoons in all other countries. I can't tell if a cartoon is made in Canada or France but I can always tell if it's Japanese.

Now I am ok with categorizing for the sake of categorizing, but what I mean its backwards are the the fans who some how feel simply that because it is from Japan, it is Superior and it can't do any wrong. Then watch episodes of Bleach. The type that watch in subtitles not because the dub did an awful job, since all dubs in their eyes are awful for not getting the "true meaning" of the two guys powering up and explaining why their moves failed. Note that most directors of anime would actually prefer you watch it as a dub because they never intended anyone to READ their movie. Lets not even get started that for all that culture talk, they know next to nothing about the actual culture of Japan.

I would never watch an anime with dub. Because it just feels and sounds wrong in 95% of anime. Exceptions are rare, for example Cowboy Bebop. Also, western voice actors just don't have right voices for anime if it's possible to make a dub that doesn't feel wrong at all. And you know, when you are used to them, subtitles don't affect perception of a show at all. You just don't notice them.

There is so much I could rant about this point.... But I'm not going to go there. But I will say this when it come the the labeling of "ANIME". It has been called many thing over the years from " Foreign Cartoons" or just foreige to " J-anime , Japainimation, J-toons" and many more. Yet in the same way we don't refer to the early japanese animation work of Osamu Tezuka as american cartoons becuase he was heavily influenced by Wailt Disney "ANIME" influenced works are not representives of japan. Plus most "AMERICAN CARTOONS" are made in Canada or Korrea.

P.S. if you want to make your head spin on major liquor ragulation look up what it takes to be called a cognac.

lockgar:Animatrixs made by Japanese animation studios, Americans copied it, despite not making it.

"Critics like the movie until the found it it wasn't European.".

You see this is what I mean, the complete amount of bullshit anime fans will fill themselves with in order to make anime "superior".

Why do you think we care about it being superior? Originals will always be superior to copies, if Americans want to make something better, they should do what they do best, not copy someone. We don't want anime-influenced cartoons to be called anime because they don't fit our definition of anime.

You see, this is the real problem. For what ever reason, people have fooled themselves that the need to make labels for different types of animation simply based on its origin. This I find is cultured backwards in every way. Do we name different type of animation because they are from Canada, France, China, America, ect... No, but when its from Japan, WE CALL IT ANIME.

Now I am ok with categorizing for the sake of categorizing, but what I mean its backwards are the the fans who some how feel simply that because it is from Japan, it is Superior and it can't do any wrong. Then watch episodes of Bleach. The type that watch in subtitles not because the dub did an awful job, since all dubs in their eyes are awful for not getting the "true meaning" of the two guys powering up and explaining why their moves failed. Note that most directors of anime would actually prefer you watch it as a dub because they never intended anyone to READ their movie. Lets not even get started that for all that culture talk, they know next to nothing about the actual culture of Japan.

As one anecdote I heard, "Critics like the movie until the found it it wasn't European.".

TRUE ANIME IS MADE IN JAPAN. Funimation which is an AMERICAN COMPANY that most of the time translate TRUE ANIME into english for an American audience....

Yep they both sucked too you know why ? IT'S AMERICAN MADE. We American's can COPY the style but not the CULTURE.

Animatrixs made by Japanese animation studios, Americans where copying anime, despite not making the film.

"Critics like the movie until the found it it wasn't European.".

You see this is what I mean, the complete amount of bullshit anime fans will fill themselves with in order to make anime "superior".

I'm not wrong the animatrix WAS MADE BY AMERICANS I've rented the dvd's and seen the BEHIND THE SCENES it was made by americans. I'm not feeling superior I'm just laughing at the notion that we can successfully copy anime and have it be well made. Yes Americans can copy it but only VERY VERY BADLY. I will not respond to any more childish retorts by of this caliber

>Can Americans Make Anime?I am sorry if this sounded racist, but that is like asking the question can a pair of white europian couple give birth to an brown Indian baby? Let me give you a hint: the word starts with the letter "N" and there are only two letters in the word, and the word ends with the letter "O". Now please figure it out.

I definitely have to agree with the writer about the homogenization of anime. It can be such a pain trying to find a new series to start, when I can't find a source online or in bookstores that categorizes the material. Whenever I see a name I haven't heard before, I can't tell if I'm about to look into a shonen action series, a yaoi romance, an ultra violent horror series, or an embarrassingly sexualized ecci series, until I've at least read the first volume. It doesn't help that I don't know Japanese.

sageoftruth:I definitely have to agree with the writer about the homogenization of anime. It can be such a pain trying to find a new series to start, when I can't find a source online or in bookstores that categorizes the material. Whenever I see a name I haven't heard before, I can't tell if I'm about to look into a shonen action series, a yaoi romance, an ultra violent horror series, or an embarrassingly sexualized ecci series, until I've at least read the first volume. It doesn't help that I don't know Japanese.

For me season lists and myanimelist top are enough to find new titles to watch. Although I agree that it's hard to find where to look for something to watch and where to download it on your own. I somehow managed though.

One Piece, Fairy Tail, Naruto (which for some reason you listed twice, there is no difference between shippuden and the regular series), Bleach, Kenichi and Kenshin are all Shonen. They are pretty much all the same thing. One Piece gets points for execution.

I'm not wrong the animatrix WAS MADE BY AMERICANS I've rented the dvd's and seen the BEHIND THE SCENES it was made by americans. I'm not feeling superior I'm just laughing at the notion that we can successfully copy anime and have it be well made. Yes Americans can copy it but only VERY VERY BADLY. I will not respond to any more childish retorts by of this caliber

Correction: some of the shorts were made by Americans. Most of them were just PAID for by Americans, they let the studios do all the direction themselves. Some of the shorts in the Animatirix are actually pretty good too.

Let me say that you are indeed nitpicking. I was making a very broad statement AND YES, OF COURSE THERE ARE SHOWS THAT ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE. Christ, I knew that as soon as I made my original post, someone would jump on it...there are debates that you don't want to be a part of.

I already narrowed my "Topics To Avoid List" to: religion, MLP: Friendship is Magic, pedophilia and rape. I will add 'anime' to that list. In the meantime I will finish watching One Piece.

TRUE ANIME IS MADE IN JAPAN. Funimation which is an AMERICAN COMPANY that most of the time translate TRUE ANIME into english for an American audience. However they somehow got it into their head to make Mass Effect: Paragon Lost (movie) was a good idea to make well just watch the trailer to see if an american company can make a " decent " I'll wait.Yep I know it sucked but you know why. It's not because it's based on a game it's because it's AMERICAN MADE two last example's.

Yep they both sucked too you know why ? IT'S AMERICAN MADE. We American's can COPY the style but not the CULTURE.

What are you on about? The shows are bad because it's Americans copying the anime style? No, the shows are bad because they're bad. End of story. Americans can clearly emulate the anime style and create a quality product from it. Will it feel just like anime? Probably not. That has nothing to do with the show being GOOD.

The writer of this article had the definition right early on. The term "anime" refers only to animation created by a Japanese animation team, produced in Japan, and developed for a Japanese audience. It describes the work's geographic origin. You shouldn't be classifying Korra as part of the anime genre because "anime" itself isn't a genre.

Korra and Avatar aren't anime, because they weren't made by and for Japan. That does not make them bad shows and it doesn't lessen their legitimacy as great works of fiction. The shows certainly take a lot of inspiration from Japanese shows, in particular the Shonen genre in anime. Anime itself is not a genre, so even calling something a "western anime" or an "American anime" doesn't really work. Japanese animation has a wide variety of genres. You have westerns, sci-fi, horror, mystery, action, and even sports. "Anime" is simply a term to use to identify it's country of origin.

The way I see it, a good show or movie is a good show or movie. It doesn't matter what country it came from or what art style it uses. I enjoy shows like Avatar and Korra just as much as I enjoy Full Metal Alchemist, Cowboy Bebop, and FLCL. We don't need to validate shows by saying that they are "Western-anime", and therefore somehow better than other western animation. The shows should be judged by their own merits or lack there of. At least that's my opinion.

Cowboy BeBop was actually not that popular in Japan... And besides, adult cartoons exists on BOTH cultures. By and large, cartoons are still made for kids. One Piece, Bleach, Naruto... three biggest anime? All kids cartoons.

Which is amusing, since the most popular cartoons in America are the Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park, neither of which have really been geared at kids in a while (South Park used to be, but not so much now), and yet anime are somehow known as "more mature".

No medium is childish or mature. For every Citizen Kaine there's an Air Bud. For every Pride and Prejudice there's a HI! Fly Guy! It's silly to denounce a whole medium as adult or childish.

Let me say that you are indeed nitpicking. I was making a very broad statement AND YES, OF COURSE THERE ARE SHOWS THAT ARE EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE. Christ, I knew that as soon as I made my original post, someone would jump on it...there are debates that you don't want to be a part of.

I already narrowed my "Topics To Avoid List" to: religion, MLP: Friendship is Magic, pedophilia and rape. I will add 'anime' to that list. In the meantime I will finish watching One Piece.

i wasn't nitpicking i was just saying when there is enough of something generalize can't be helped from time to time